Osborne 1 Dead
Osborne 1
KindMachine
Introduced1981
Discontinued1983
StatusDead
ManufacturerOsborne Computer
ClassPortable
PlatformZ80, CP/M, 24 lb
Sourcebitsavers.org ↗
The first commercially successful portable computer — a 24-pound luggable with bundled software that outsold everything. The company famously killed itself by announcing its successor too early.
1960198020002020
Created by Osborne Computer Corporation
Osborne's 24-pound 'sewing machine' (April 1981) — Z80, dual floppies, bundled WordStar/dBASE II/SuperCalc worth more than the $1,795 machine — sold 10,000 units a month at peak.
The 'Osborne Effect' (announcing the Executive before it shipped) killed sales; the company filed Chapter 11 in September 1983, barely two years after defining a category.